Are birds gay
Why It's OK for Birds to Be Gay
In greylag geese, nearly a fifth of all long-term couples are serene of two males. They're not alone: More than 130 feathered species are recognizable to engage in homosexual behavior at least occasionally, a reality that has baffled scientists.
After all, in evolutionary terms queer mating seems to reduce the birds' chances of reproductive success. But that's not necessarily so, according to a new study. In a given species, the sex with lighter parental duties tends to mate more, period — whether with the same or the opposite sex.
Birds involve in all kinds of same-sex hanky panky, from elaborate courtship displays to mounting and genital contact to setting up house together. In some species the same-sex pairs even raise immature (conceived with outside partners, obviously) and stay together for several years.
You may likeIn 2007, a team led by Geoff MacFarlane, a biologistat the University of Newcastle in Australia, reported that male homosexual behavior was more common in polygynous bird species, where males mate with numerous females, and that female homosexual behavior was more common in monogamous species.
Intrigued, MacFarlane look
Both male and female swans have been observed forming gay pairs in which they will court, nest, and rear eggs. Studies hold found that this behaviour is more persistent in male swans than in females and particularly Australian male jet swans, who develop stable, long-lasting gay relationships with each other.
During courtship, male same-sex pairs of black swans acquire been seen executing courtship displays and mating behaviours, similar to those of opposite-sex pairs. They have also been known to pursue off other opposite-sex pairs to pirate their nests, including eggs. They will then incubate the eggs and boost the chicks.
Some studies have found that same-sex pairings acquire a higher triumph rate in raising chicks, about 80% compared to 30% in opposite-sex pairs. This may be because the pair of males can defend a larger territory, and the incubation duties are shared more evenly between the queer pair.
The iconic flying rainbow of Sydney, the Rainbow Lorikeet is a brightly coloured parrot that is native to the eastern coast of Australia. Both males and females of the species look identical, and it is unworkable to identify their sex just by observing the
Bird Fun Facts
To celebrate, I’ve prepared some fun data about gay birds! (You can read a previoos post on gay flamingoes on my blog, too.)
But today, let’s read about… the Laysan Albatross!
These marvelous birds are known for their long-lived monogamous relationships (and even longer lives!), where they mate with the same partner once a year for their entire lives. In truth, one particular bird, named Wisdom the Albatross, is over 70-years-old.
What’s even cooler?
In 2021, at 70 years of age, Wisdom the Laysan Albatross did something no-one has ever recorded before: she hatched a chick!
Regarded as “oldest famous wild bird in history”, Wisdom has outlived several of her ex-husbands (aka her previous mating partners) as well as the very human who first banded her and began studying her life - the biologist Chandler Robbins, who first banded her in 1956, 66 whole years ago.
But here's the gay twist - their lifelong partners don't possess to be of the opposite gender!
Biologist Lindsay C. Young made a groundbreaking discovery in 2008 when she found that 31% of Laysan albatross nests in Kaena Point, Hawaii were attended to by female-female couples - more than double the
Why it's OK for birds to be gay
In greylag geese, nearly a fifth of all long-term couples are composed of two males. They're not alone: More than 130 bird species are known to engage in lesbian behavior at least occasionally, a fact that has puzzled scientists.
After all, in evolutionary terms same-sex mating seems to decrease the birds' chances of reproductive success. But that's not necessarily so, according to a recent study. In a given species, the sex with lighter parental duties tends to mate more, period whether with the matching or the opposite sex.
Birds engage in all kinds of same-sex hanky panky, from elaborate courtship displays to mounting and genital contact to setting up house together. In some species the same-sex pairs even promote young (conceived with outside partners, obviously) and stay together for several years.
In 2007, a team led by Geoff MacFarlane, a biologist at the University of Newcastle in Australia, reported that male homosexual behavior was more common in polygynous feathered species, where males mate with numerous females, and that female homosexual behavior was more usual in monogamous species.
Intrigued, MacFarlane looked for help explaining